<p>Hi! I've mostly been a lurker on these boards during the college application process, but it's down to the stretch run now and I need to make a decision. I've cut it down to Northeastern University in Boston and the University of Richmond, two pretty different schools.</p>
<pre><code>At Northeastern, I'd be in the International Affairs program, although I'm not positive whether or not I'll switch out of that. My family and I would be paying about $23000 thanks to grants and scholarships. The plus side of Northeastern is that it's in Boston, which I feel would help the International Relations track, and of course the co-op/internship programs. It's also closer to home (northern NJ).
Richmond, I hear, is better academically and smaller. It also costs less, about $12000 thanks to generous grants. I'm currently undecided on a major. I know Richmond has great International Studies programs, but I don't know if that translates to International Relations and political science. Then again, I'm not entirely positive I'll graduate as one of those majors. Also, Richmond isn't quite Boston in terms of opportunity. I'd also like to go to grad school one day and I'm not sure I'd maintain an above average GPA with Richmond's tough workload.
At the end of the day, my brain says Richmond and my heart says Northeastern. I'm torn. Part of it has to do with the social scene at both schools (yes, education comes first, but I'd like to enjoy my time in college too); Richmond is supposedly very "preppy" with a large party atmosphere (I'm not a fan of either) since Richmond isn't a very happening city and the school is on the outskirts/suburbs. I've talked to students here and there and I get this feeling that they want me to like it, yet they're not exactly happy themselves while at Richmond. It's also said to not be very diverse, which is a major negative for me.
</code></pre>
<p>I'd greatly appreciate any advice, thank you.</p>
<p>Save $$ for grad school, go with Richmond. It is a much better school than Northeastern and nearly half the price! Richmond is also much closer to DC, which could be practical for IR-related opportunities.</p>
<p>The price difference is substantial so without knowing your financial situation I think that is worth noting for two schools that are on par with each other. They both have acceptance rates in the low 30% and SAT scores are almost the same NU (1890-2140) UR (1930-2140). After that they are very different. Richmond is a LAC and has 2700 undergrad total. That is about the size of the entering class at Northeastern, so we are talking about a big difference in size. Both schools take a large portion of students from the Mid-Atlantic and internationally. That said one is obviously in downtown Boston and one is in Richmond, VA. </p>
<p>Having attended Northeastern as a Political Science/Middle East Studies Major I can only tell you about NU’s academic life. If I were you I would actually e-mail the chairs of the departments at both schools. NU has spent a significant number of resources pushing students to go on study abroad/international co-op. Here is a cool link listing all the locations for current positions. [International</a> Co-op - Northeastern University](<a href=“http://www.northeastern.edu/internationalcoop/]International”>Global Co-op - Northeastern University Global Experience Office) In addition there is a really cool program called Dialogues of Civilization that happens during the 1st and 2nd half of the summer where instead of taking classes you travel/study to another country with a professor and around 20 other students. This is extremely popular as there are 50 trips scheduled for this year leading to thousands of students going. [Dialogue</a> of Civilizations](<a href=“http://www.northeastern.edu/internationalaffairs/learning_coop/dialogue/]Dialogue”>Dialogue of Civilizations - International Affairs Program) If you are an International Affairs major who for some reason is not looking to travel abroad or are looking for a domestic co-op I know people who have co-oped at the United Nations, Council on Foreign Relations, Foreign Affairs Magazine, EF Education, Goldman Sachs, State Department, and Oxfam United to name a few. [International</a> Affairs Coop Home Page](<a href=“http://www.northeastern.edu/intlaffairscoop/index.php]International”>International Affairs Co-op | International Affairs Co-op | Northeastern University)</p>
<p>Good luck, you have two great options.</p>